Book Selections for the Year

My Queen friends,
 
If you were unable to make our meeting Wed eveing, You missed  wonderful Mediterranean style food.  Our food committee queens prepared dates, hummus, pita bread, kibbie with garlic sauce, artichocoke dip, cheesecake, cornbread, roasted chicken, pumpkin and banaa bread...all so yummmy...now don't you wish you were there?  Thank you Queens Laurie, Beverly, Erin and  Renee!
 
 Queen Allison, our technilogical guru, plugged us into an online interview with author Paulo Coelho.  For those who wish to hear the entire 75 minute interview  you can click here  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/STATIONS/AUTHORSONAIR/TOPSHELF/2008/09/17/PAULO-COELHO-DISCUSSES-THE-ALCHEMIST   
 
I was able to have high resolution photos made from his website that had some of his more famous quotes from his books.  If you want to download them you can use this website  http://paulocoelhoblog.com/postcards/
 
 (or if you find another card that you would like to have printed our or a different size etc you can contact me)
 
 
The discussion questions were very insightful this time and I felt that I really needed to do some life refleccting journaling on some of them.  Perhaps if I go on a retreat I will bring this with me.
 
 
VERY IMPORTANT:
 
Head Queen Kathy Patrick wants to acknowledge the favorite authors this year at the convention in January.  If you were not at the meeting Wed or fogot to vote
 
Please email me your choice of the following (one from each category if possible)  I only listed the ones we read as a group.  If you read other selections independently from the entire PQ listings, you may select from those also
 
PQ BOOK CLUB SELECTIONS
 
The Pulpwood Queens Tiara Wearing Book Sharing Guide to Life by Kathy Patrick
The Pirates Daughter by Margaret Cezair-Thompson
Mermaids in the Basement by Michael Lee West
 
PQ BONUS BOOK CLUB SELECTIONS
 
Singularity
Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore
The Unlikely Lavender Queen  by Jeannie Ralston
The Flawless Skin of Ugly People by  Doug Crandell
 
PINECONES BOOK CLUB SELECTIONs
 
The Alchemist by Paul Coelho
 
 
I'd appreciate your email or calling me as soon as possible since Kathy needs the results by Dec 1 in order to plan for the Convention in January.   Thank you!!
 
 
Also, Mark you Calendar for our early Christmas Party on   Wed 10 6:30 pm at Queen Brenda's  Remember to bring a White Elephant Gift (something you already have but not longer use -- not gag gifts)
 
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
 
Love
Queen Kay
















 

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Favorite Book Selection of the year

Our Head Queen Kathy Patrick has asked us to vote individually for the book we enjoyed the most this past year.  I have  copied her request and list of books below and the ones in red , are the the ones we read.  Just be prepared to vote your favorite at our meeting Wednesday.  From the list you can see there are many more books out there that we could read...keep your eyes open for ones you might want to read soon
 
See you then!
Queen Kay
 
 
"And most important to the Pulpwood Queens: I need for each Pulpwood Queen Book Club club member to turn in to their Head Queen, their vote for the Favorite and Best
1)Pulpwood Queen Book Club Selection of the Year!
2)Pulpwood Queen Bonus Book Club Selection of the year!
3)Splinters Book Club Selection of the Year!
4)Pinecones Book Club Selection of the Year!
Please send them to kathy@beautyandthebook.com. Each vote must have the name of the member. If your entire chapter selects the same book, please send me the list of names of your members with their email addresses. I need these no later than December 1, 2008. I will be notifying the winners of The Pulpwood Queen Book Club Selections of the year to see if they can attend our annual Pulpwood Queen Girlfriend Weekend Author Extravaganza, January 15 - 17, 2009 to see if they can accept their awards in person. See list below and cast your votes:


Pulpwood Queen Official Book Club Selections

January 2008
The Pulpwood Queens' Tiara-Wearing, Book-Sharing Guide to Life by Kathy L. Patrick, Grand Central Publishing
Bonus Book ClubThe Stylist: A Novel (P.S.) by Cai Emmons, Harper Perennial
From the Heart: Seven Rules to Live By by Robin Roberts, Hyperion
Splinters  (teens) Selection  Rowdy in Paris by Tim Sadlin, Riverhead Hardcover
Pinecones ( pre-teens) Selection The Curse of Catunkhamun by Tim Raglin, TR Books

February 2008
Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home by Kim Sunee, Grand Central Publishing
Bonus Book ClubThe Sweet Life by Lynn York, Plume
The Big Beautiful by Pamela Duncan
Splinters  Selection
Pinecones  Selection
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Shermie Alexie, Little Brown Young Readers

March 2008
The Pirate's Daughter by Margaret Cezair-Thompson, UnBridled Books
Bonus Book Club
God Said Yes by Heather Hornback Bland, Berkley
The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A. J. Jacobs, Simon & Schuster
Splinters Pinecones  Selection  The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, HarperCollins

April 2008
Mermaids in the Basement by Michael Lee West, HarperBonus Book Club
One Fell Swoop by Virginia Boyd, Thomas Nelson
All the Numbers by Judy Larson, Ballentine Books
Splinters Pinecones  Selection   My Mother The Cheerleader by Robert Sharenow, Harper Teen
From Emporia: The Story of William Allen White by Beverley Olsen Buller,

May 2008
A Model Summer by Paulina Porizkova, Hyperion
Bonus BookClub
the memoirs of a beautiful boy by robert leleux, St. Martins Press
Women of Magdalene by Rosemary Poole-Carter, Kunati Inc.
Splinters Pinecones  Selection  Remember As You Pass Me By by L. King Perez, Milkweed
Jim Limber Davis: Black Orphan in the Confederate White House by Rickey Pittman, Pelican Publishing Company

June 2008
The Schooling of Claybird Catts by Janis Owens, Harper Paperbacks
Bonus Book Club My Brother Michael by Janis Owens, Pineapple Press
Myra Sims by Janis Owens, Pineapple Press
Splinters  Selection  The Chicken Dance by Jacques Covillion, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Pinecones  Selection  Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board by Bethany Hamilton, Pocket Books

July 2008
The Wednesday Sisters: A Novel by Meg Waite Clayton, Ballentine Books
Bonus Book Club
How Perfect is That by Sarah Bird, Knopf Publishing Group
Dishing with the Kitchen Virgin by Susan Reinhardt, Kensington
Splinters Selection  The Wall by Peter Sis, Farrah, Straus, & Giroux
Pinecones Selection  The Underneath by Kathi Appelt, Atheneum

August 2008
Where the River Ends by Charles Martin, Broadway Books
Bonus Book Club
Bringing Home the Birkin by Michael Tonello, William Morrow Publishers
The Unlikely Lavender Queen by Jeannie Ralston, Broadway Books

September 2008
The Prince of Frogtown by Rick Bragg, Knopf Publishing Group
Bonus Book Club
Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore, Thomas Nelson
Hairdos & the Mildly Depressed by Doug Crandell, Virgin Books
The Flawless Skin of Ugly People by Doug Crandell, Virgin Books
Splinters  Selection  In Search of Mockingbird by Loretta Elsworth, Henry Holt & Company
Mockingbird by Charles J. Shields, Henry Holt & Company
Pinecones  Selection  I am Scout by Charles J. Shields, Henry Holt & Company

October 2008
Serena by Ron Rash
Bonus Book Club
Singularity by Kathryn Casey, St. Martins Minotaur
Willie Nelson: An Epic Life by Joe Nick Patoski, Little, Brown Publishers
Willie Nelson: A Tale Out of Luck by Willie Nelson with Mike Blakely, Center Street
Splinters  Selection  ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley, Little, Brown Young Readers
Pinecones Selection  A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams by Jen Bryant, Eerdmans

November 2008
The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood by Helene Cooper, Simon & Schuster
Bonus Book Club
The Uncommon Reader: A Novella by Alan Bennett, Picador
Splinters  Selection  Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron, Grand Central Publishing
The Cats of Kittyville: New Lives for Rescued Felines by Bob Somerville, Sellers Publishing
Pinecones Selection
The 13 Clocks by James Thurber, The New York Review of Books

December 2008 
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, Knopf
Bonus Book Club Selection
Out Stealing Horses: A Novel by Per Petterson
Splinters and Pinecones Book Club Selection
Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and his Girl by Stacey o"Brian, Free Press
 


 Kay
 
 
Justice --- When you get what you deserve
  Mercy ----- When you don't get what you deserve
 Grace ----- When you get what you don't deserve

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Re: Meeting Nov 19 at 6:30 pm at Queen Laurie's

Wish I could be there!!! Looking forward to seeing y’all in January in Texas!!
xo

Meeting Nov 19 at 6:30 pm at Queen Laurie's

I forgot to put the date of our next meeting in the meeting notice.
 
It will be Wed Nov 19 at 6:30 pm at Queen laurie Cormier's, 418 Peake St in Lake Charles.
 
 Sulphur Queens who want to car pool, we will meet at Maplewood Rec Center as usual around 5:45 pm
 
Also, mark your calendar for our Dec Christmas Party, on Dec 10 at 6:30 pm at Queen Brenda Venable's in Carlyss. 
 
Hope I got it right this time.
  
 
The only thing that doesn't require work is chaos. - Queen Kay Huck

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Kay is inviting you to a Windows Live Event

	Kay has invited you to "Early Nov PQ Meeting."	Check it out now
Message from Kay: Pulpwood Queens, I am so thankful to count each of you as a friend. I look forward to seeing you at our next meeting Nov 19 at Queen Laurie's, 418 Peake St in Lake Charles. The book is The Alchemist by Paul Coelho Food committee is Queen Laurie, Queen Beverly, Queen Renee and Queen Erin Happy Reading! Queen Kay When: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 6:30 PM Where: Queen Laurie's

November Meeting

For our November meeting we will meet at Queen Laurie's at 6:30 pm to discuss our next selection, The Alchemist by Paul Coelho. This inspirational book tells of the journey of Santiago. I'm sure we all have a "Story to Tell" about our own journey. Paul Coelho is an active internet blogger and a supporter of open sourcing through the net. You can access his website here

http://www.paulocoelho.com/engl/index.html






Discussion Questions:

1. At the start of his journey, when Santiago asks a gypsy woman to interpret his dream about a treasure in the Egyptian pyramids, she asks for one tenth of the treasure in return. When Santiago asks the old man to show him the path to the treasure, the old man requests one tenth of his flock as "payment." Both payments represent a different price we have to pay to fulfill a dream; however, only one will yield a true result. Which payment represents false hope? Can you think of examples from your own life when you had to give up something to meet a goal and found the price too high?

2. Paulo Coelho once said that alchemy is all about pursuing our spiritual quest in the physical world as it was given to us. It is the art of transmuting the reality into something sacred, of mixing the sacred and the profane. With this in mind, can you define your Personal Legend? At what time in your life were you first able to act on it? What was your "beginner's luck"? Did anything prevent you from following it to conclusion? Having read The Alchemist, do you know what inner resources you need to continue the journey?

3. One of the first major diversions from Santiago's journey was the theft of his money in Tangiers, which forced him into taking a menial job with the crystal merchant. There, Santiago learned many lessons on everything from the art of business to the art of patience. Of all these, which lessons were the most crucial to the pursuit of his Personal Legend?

4. When he talked about the pilgrimage to Mecca, the crystal merchant argued that having a dream is more important than fulfilling it, which is what Santiago was trying to do. Do you agree with Santiago's rationale or crystal merchant's?

5. The Englishman, whom Santiago meets when he joins the caravan to the Egyptian pyramids, is searching for "a universal language, understood by everybody." What is that language? According to the Englishman, what are the parallels between reading and alchemy? How does the Englishman's search for the alchemist compares to Santiago's search for a treasure? How did the Englishman and Santiago feel about each other?

6. The alchemist tells Santiago "you don't have to understand the desert: all you have to do is contemplate a simple grain of sand, and you will see in it all the marvels of creation." With this in mind, why do you think the alchemist chose to befriend Santiago, though he knew that the Englishman was the one looking for him? What is the meaning of two dead hawks and the falcon in the oasis? At one point the alchemist explains to Santiago the secret of successfully turning metal into gold. How does this process compare to finding a Personal Legend?

7. Why did Santiago have to go through the dangers of tribal wars on the outskirts of the oasis in order to reach the pyramids? At the very end of the journey, why did the alchemist leave Santiago alone to complete it?

8. Earlier in the story, the alchemist told Santiago "when you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed." At the end of the story, how did this simple lesson save Santiago's life? How did it lead him back to the treasure he was looking for?

From the University of Chicago

• What is meant by the "lanuage of the world"?
• Are omens really out there and are they important? What are omens? Are they just illusions that we see to justify something we feel or want to do, or are they something more?
• Are the king, the crystal merchant and the alchemist the same person or spirit?
• What was the point of finding the treasure close to where it was first dreamed about?
• Was the journey or finding the treasure more important? What does this mean about life?
• What happens in life when one actually achieves their personal legend?
• What was the point of the boy becoming the wind?
• What is your personal legend? Is it important to have one?
• Does the simplistic and primitive style of this book add or detract from the main goal, what ever you think the main goal is?
• What does it mean to say "the universe conspires to help you achieve what you want"?